IMLS Digital Collections and Content (IMLS DCC)http://hdl.handle.net/2142/698
Reports, presentations, and publications from the IMLS DCC projectThu, 22 Feb 2018 07:16:36 GMT2018-02-22T07:16:36ZRule Categories for Collection/Item Metadata Relationshipshttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/25412
Rule Categories for Collection/Item Metadata Relationships
Wickett, Karen M.; Renear, Allen H.; Urban, Richard J.
Collections of artifacts, images, texts, and other cultural objects are not arbitrary aggregations, but are designed to support specific research and scholarly activities. Collection-level metadata directly supports this objective, providing critical contextual information. However, exploiting this information, especially in a semantic web environment of linked data, requires a precise formalization of the rules that characterize collection/item metadata relationships. Toward this end we are developing a logic based framework of relationship rule categories for collection/item metadata. This framework will support metadata specification developers, metadata catalogers, and system designers. In earlier work we described three
example rule categories for propagation of information from collections to items. Further reflection, and examination of metadata in an RDF testbed, has revealed eighteen categories, which form an interrelated system with three levels of specificity and formal constraints differentiating categories. This paper summarizes the results of a three year effort, part of the IMLS Digital Collections and Content project.
Collection Item Metadata Relationships; Digital Libraries; Metadata
Mon, 25 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/254122010-10-25T00:00:00ZWickett, Karen M.Renear, Allen H.Urban, Richard J.Beyond Size and Search: Building Contextual Mass in Digital Aggregations for Scholarly Usehttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/18655
Beyond Size and Search: Building Contextual Mass in Digital Aggregations for Scholarly Use
Palmer, Carole L.; Zavalina, Oksana L.; Fenlon, Katrina S.
At present there are no established collection development methods for building large-scale digital aggregations. However, to realize the potential of the collective base of digital content and advance scholarship, aggregations must do more than provide search of sizable bodies of content. Informed by empirical understanding of scholarly information practices, the IMLS Digital Collections and Content project developed an aggregation strategy for building Opening History, one of the largest digital cultural heritage aggregations in the country. The strategy applied policy-driven collecting, based on the principle of contextual mass, and conspectus-style evaluation of collection-level metadata to identify strong subject areas within the aggregation. Analysis of density, interconnectedness, diversity, and small/large collection complementarity determined subject concentrations and thematic strengths to be prioritized for future collection development and used as organizational structures for browsing and visualization. The approach models how scholars build their own personal research collections, as they follow leads from collection to collection across institutions near and far, and adds value that cannot be achieved through conventional retrieval and browsing at the item-level.
collection evaluation; collection policy; digital aggregations; subject access; subject analysis; collection-level metadata; thematic research collections; scholarly information use
Mon, 25 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/186552010-10-25T00:00:00ZPalmer, Carole L.Zavalina, Oksana L.Fenlon, Katrina S.A Testbed for Collection-Item Metadata Relationshipshttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/16604
A Testbed for Collection-Item Metadata Relationships
Urban, Richard J.; Wickett, Karen M.; Renear, Allen H.
This paper describes the development of a testbed for formalized categories of collection-item metadata relationships. Because these categories are characterized using logic-based formal languages and are most naturally analyzed by exploring inferences and logical relationships, the testbed is based on contemporary semantic web architecture. We describe the design and development of the testbed, discussing some challenges that we overcame in the process of translating OAI-PMH XML records into DCAM-compliant descriptions sets that could be represented in RDF.
Collection Item Metadata Relationships; Dublin Core; Semantic Web; RDF; OAI-PMH
Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/166042010-07-29T00:00:00ZUrban, Richard J.Wickett, Karen M.Renear, Allen H.Evaluating Descriptive Richness in Collection-Level Metadatahttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/16585
Evaluating Descriptive Richness in Collection-Level Metadata
Zavalina, Oksana L.; Palmer, Carole L.; Jackson, Amy S.; Han, Myung-Ja K.
When many collections are brought together in a federation or aggregation, the attributes of the original collections can become difficult to discern. Collection-level metadata has the potential to provide important context about the purpose and features of individual collections, but the qualitative aspects of collections are difficult to describe in a systematic way. This paper reports on a content analysis of collection records in the Digital Collections and Content (DCC) aggregation, conducted to analyze the kinds of substantive and purposeful information represented across 202 cultural heritage collections. We found that the free-text Description field often provides more accurate and complete representation of subjects and object types than the specified fields; it consistently represents properties such as uniqueness, importance, comprehensiveness, provenance, and creator of items in digital collection, and other vital contextual information about the intentions of collectors and the value of collections for scholarly users. The results show that free-text collection metadata can be both concise and semantically rich, and can provide a valuable source of data for enhancing and customizing controlled vocabularies.
descriptive metadata; metadata aggregation; federated digital collections.; collection metadata
Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/165852008-12-01T00:00:00ZZavalina, Oksana L.Palmer, Carole L.Jackson, Amy S.Han, Myung-Ja K.IMLS DCC 2010 Advisory Board Meeting: Collection/Item Metadata Relationshipshttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/16432
IMLS DCC 2010 Advisory Board Meeting: Collection/Item Metadata Relationships
Wickett, Karen M.; Renear, Allen H.
Update on the Collection/Item Metadata Relationships working group of the IMLS Digital Collections and Content project.
Collection Item Metadata Relationships; collection-level metadata
Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/164322010-05-14T00:00:00ZWickett, Karen M.Renear, Allen H.IMLS DCC 2010 Advisory Board Meeting: Infrastructure & Harvesting Updatehttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/16431
IMLS DCC 2010 Advisory Board Meeting: Infrastructure & Harvesting Update
Cole, Timothy W.
Update on the infrastructure, metadata harvesting and processing, and metasearch behind the IMLS Digital Collections and Content and Opening History portals. Information on user searching behaviors.
IMLS Digital Collections and Content; Metasearch; OAI-PMH; Metadata
Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/164312010-05-14T00:00:00ZCole, Timothy W.IMLS DCC 2010 Advisory Board Meeting: Flickr Feasibility Studyhttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/16430
IMLS DCC 2010 Advisory Board Meeting: Flickr Feasibility Study
Jett, Jacob
Update on the Flickr Feasibility Study, an initiative of the IMLS Digital Collections and Content project.
Flickr; Metadata
Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/164302010-05-14T00:00:00ZJett, JacobIMLS DCC 2010 Advisory Board Meeting: Introduction and Update on Opening Historyhttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/16429
IMLS DCC 2010 Advisory Board Meeting: Introduction and Update on Opening History
Palmer, Carole L.; Fenlon, Katrina S.
Update on the IMLS Digital Collections and Content Project's Opening History aggregation: growth of collections through state library participation, the contextual mass approach to collection development, diversity of institutions and types of items represented.
collection-level metadata; digital aggregations; cultural heritage aggregations; digital collections
Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/164292010-05-14T00:00:00ZPalmer, Carole L.Fenlon, Katrina S.Patchwork Prototyping a Collections Dashboardhttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/15069
Patchwork Prototyping a Collections Dashboard
Urban, Richard J.; Twidale, Michael B.
As aggregations of digitized cultural heritage materials grow larger, it becomes difficult to understand the size, scope and significant features of purpose-built collections. The dimensionless nature of digital libraries can make the already challenging task of "collections understanding" even more difficult. Emerging approaches to dynamic information visualization offer a way to provide users with a sense of the shape and contours of obscured features of digital collections.
In this poster, we will demonstrate a novel design method called patchwork prototyping that we have used to elicit useful visualizations for cultural heritage collections. Traditional approaches to user-centered design have relied on opposite ends of an interaction spectrum. Lightweight, low-fidelity paper prototypes can evolve quickly and may be appropriate for use with novice users, but lack real functionality and/or interaction. High-fidelity prototypes may restore these features but custom programming and infrastructure requirements make them less agile. Patchwork prototyping fills this gap by using readily available open-source software and web services to create interactive prototypes that are easily modified in response to user design suggestions.
Metadata from the IMLS Digital Collections and Content Project (IMLS DCC) is used as a test case for exploring the novel design problems of building a collection dashboard that complements traditional textual descriptions of collections.
Rapid prototyping; Cultural Heritage; Information Visualization; Metadata
Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/150692010-01-13T00:00:00ZUrban, Richard J.Twidale, Michael B.IMLS Digital Collections and Content: Interim Report for April - Sept. 2009http://hdl.handle.net/2142/14213
IMLS Digital Collections and Content: Interim Report for April - Sept. 2009
Palmer, Carole L.; Fenlon, Katrina S.
During the performance period of April 1, 2009 through September 30, 2009, the IMLS DCC Flickr Feasibility Study began; Opening History aggregation grew and its subject strengths in particular increased through targeted collection development; the Interface subgroup developed a prototype of an Opening History interface more reliant on visualizations of data; CIMR (Collection Item Metadata Relationships) subgroup established an RDF triplestore for testing inferences; and Infrastructure subgroup was established.
IMLS DCC; Digital libraries; Interim Report
Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/2142/142132009-10-31T00:00:00ZPalmer, Carole L.Fenlon, Katrina S.